What does October 17th Mean to YOU?

Every year when October 17th rolls around, I get a little freaked out. For those of you who don't recall the significance of this day, let me refresh your memory...

On October 17, 1989... I was a wee ten years old. I was practicing my flute in my bedroom, my mom was in the kitchen making dinner. My mom asked my brother to pick some veggies from her garden for dinner, and I tried my best to play that darn flute. Had we been a family interested in sports, the beginning of a World Series game between the San Francisco Giants and the Oakland A's - the Battle of the Bay they called it - would have been on the television. At 5:04pm, the world began to shake. My music stand fell to the ground, and i jumped up and stood in the doorway. My mom yelled to get outside, so I listened and ran out the door to the driveway, where we met my terrified eight year old brother crying as the earthquake had thrown him to the ground.

The quake only knocked out our power, so we spent the rest of the night watching the devastation from a tiny, battery-powered, black and white TV. The Bay Bridge collapsed. The Cypress structure (or what is also known as the 880) collapsed. There were fires and rubble... I was terrified, this was the worst thing I had ever seen. (Thank god I didn't live in Santa Cruz, the city was leveled by the damn quake.)

So every year, on October 17th, I remember all those horrible images and feelings that i felt that day.

At least the A's won the World Series. Totally crushed the Giants. :)